ABIGAIL'S PARTY
devised by
Mike Leigh
CAST
Beverly Meg Stratford
Laurence Jim Cottee
Angela Kathy Smith
Tony Chris Avery
Susan Mary Cole
May 1982
Directed by Laurie Tunbridge
Beverly and her husband Laurence hold a drinks party for their neighbours Tony, Angela and Susan, whose fifteen-year-old daughter Abigail is holding a party at home.
The gathering starts off in a stiff, insensitive, British-middle-class way however as the alcohol takes effect, Beverly flirts more and more overtly with Tony, as Laurence sits impotently by.
After a tirade about art, Laurence suffers a fatal heart attack. Within this simple framework, all of the obsessions, prejudices, fears and petty competitiveness of the protagonists are ruthlessly exposed.